Houston Rockets player AJ Griffin is one step closer to retiring from basketball after just two seasons in the NBA.
The Rockets released the 21-year-old on Friday, according to The Athleticwhich accelerated his departure from professional basketball.
Griffin was selected 16th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in 2022 and played two seasons before being traded to the Rockets in June of this year.
The son of former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin has yet to play a game for his new team, but is expected to leave the sport altogether.
In his rookie season with the Hawks, the former first-round pick played in 72 games, starting 12 of them, and averaged 19.5 minutes per game.
Houston Rockets player AJ Griffin has come one step closer to retiring from basketball
The small forward is the son of former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin (right)
However, his role diminished when he struggled with an ankle injury in his second year in the NBA. He played in just 20 games, averaging 8.6 minutes per game last season.
After his production declined, the Hawks decided to let him go in late June this offseason.
Atlanta traded Griffin to the Rockets for the 44th pick in this year’s draft. That pick was then traded to Miami for the rights to guard/forward Nikola Djurisic of Serbia.
Griffin played for the Rockets this summer during the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, but the forward could leave the game altogether before playing for his new team in the regular season.
News of his potential departure comes less than three weeks before the start of training camp, with the 2024-25 season set to kick off on October 22.
The Rockets finished the 2023-24 season with a 41-41 record, narrowly missing out on a spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament.
His departure would leave the Rockets with less depth at small forward and less competition for Cam Whitmore, Jae’Sean Tate and Tari Eason at the position.
More to come.